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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Carp leap countless barriers at Dragon Gate, Foxes leap the high torii at Inari Shrines.", September 12, 2009
This review is from: Hakuin's Precious Mirror Cave: A Zen Miscellany (Hardcover)
Neither in any of the magnificent temples of the imperial capital Kyoto nor the shogunal capital Edo but rather in a relatively obscure temple in a small town on the highway linking the two lived one of Japan's truly standout religious leaders, Hakuin Ekaku. What we generally think of as Rinzai Zen both in Japan and abroad is largely his reformulation of the tradition, and his influence is so pervasive that it even reaches "The Simpsons" as Bart ponders the sound of one hand clapping. Luckily for us, such an important figure is anything but dull--his writings are versatile and lively, his expression down-to-earth and delightfully unconventional in ways longtime students of Buddhism aren't likely to take for granted. This also makes him at once challenging and yet wonderfully amenable to English translation, as Norman Waddell has now amply demonstrated with his usual flair four times as of this fine volume in question, "Hakuin's Precious Mirror Cave." A Zen miscellany it is, indeed. All six works included are various in tone, format, genre, and whatnot, giving one a good sense of Hakuin's range. And yet this is not just a slapdash basket of leftovers. Two common themes run through these diverse works and give the overall collection a certain unity: Hakuin's insistent emphasis on meditation practice well beyond the first little experience of enlightenment and the cultivation of wisdom and compassion this entails, and a strong autobiographical emphasis in which the spiritual quest and the religious truths discovered thereby are revealed not in airily abstract terms but within the concrete details of Hakuin's own life (making this a treasure trove for the historian of religion, incidentally). An added plus is that some of these works are rare or recently rediscovered even in Japan, putting this collection a bit on the cutting edge as it were. "The Tale of My Childhood" is a invaluably forthright account by Hakuin of his childhood religious anxieties and his youthful career as a monk in training, including an extended lapse in his faith in Buddhism as well as episodes of spiritual arrogance as the novice is slowly tempered into the great Zen master writing this memoir in retrospect. "The Tale of Yukichi of Takayama" gives us a fascinating glimpse of the religious controversies sparked by Hakuin's teachings in nearby communities as well as the importance of his extensive networks of serious lay practitioners, and the core narrative of a contemporary incident in which a boy was possessed by the deity of the local Inari Shrine and gave a series of sermons corroborating Hakuin's approach is intriguing in its own right and does much to dispel the aura of cultural austerity that sometimes attends Zen--you know, a sort of demythologized and nearly agnostic regimen of koan work, shouts and blows all in tones of monochrome ink. "Idle Talk on a Night Boat" is Hakuin's classic account of his meditation illness and how advice from a hermit on the outskirts of Kyoto cured it. Waddell has translated this before, but this is a variant text. "Old Granny's Tea-Grinding Songs" is for me the priceless gem of the collection, a folksy poem in the rhythms of popular music of Hakuin's day in which he lays out his religious insights in a colloquially irreverent manner. "An Account of the Precious Mirror Cave" shows Hakuin's slightly idiosyncratic but reverent incorporation of local Buddhist folklore as he describes his pilgrimage to an eerily unique holy place on the Izu Peninsula. And finally, "The Chronological Biography of Zen Master Hakuin" by his chief disciple Torei Enji (though almost certainly with his own oversight and input) is a year-by-year account of Hakuin's religious career from birth to death, and is overflowing with interesting episodes and information. This is one of those key works of translation useful to multiple audiences. Buddhist practitioners should find in these texts both guidance and inspiration. The collection should also stand as an indispensable source for scholars and those otherwise interested in a more detached manner in Buddhism, Japanese religion, or even Tokugawa social history more generally, and they will likely find the contents therein to destabilize or at least tweak some of their presuppositions (I did, anyway). Some of the selections would serve well as assigned reading in the classroom, for that matter. Those primarily keen on Japanese literature and art will also find something to engage their attention in these pages. Longtime readers of works on Buddhism will find something new and intriguing here, while the book has been designed to be relatively approachable for newcomers as well. And on a personal note, this fine "Zen Miscellany" kept my spirits up during a rather severe turning point in my life, and I'll always have a certain fondness for it on that score.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating History and Useful to Modern Zen Practice, July 29, 2009
This review is from: Hakuin's Precious Mirror Cave: A Zen Miscellany (Hardcover)
Norman Waddell has produced another wonderful translation of Hakuin, a Japanese Zen patriarch of great importance to all Zen students. This book is exceptional in the extent to which it evokes the life of Zen practice in Japan at the heart of the revival of the Rinzai school of Zen. Don't misunderstand, "Hakuin's Precious Mirror Cave" is not a book "about" Hakuin or "about" the history of Zen. It is Hakuin, himself, in his own letters and writings and in the reports of his words and deeds by his students. Hakuin's words were written to students and teachers hundreds of years ago to foster their practices and realizations. But, they have the power from this book to inspire and arouse students practicing Zen today. The collection of letters and works translated by Waddell put all of Hakuin's teachings in a clearer context of the man himself and his own practice. As usual, the book is well footnoted. And, it has a good bibliography, index, and short glossary. Two of Waddell's other translations that I especially recommend are "Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei" and "Essential Teachings of Zen Master Hakuin." None of his translations should be missed.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A prescription for good reading, January 1, 2011
Hakuin lived in the first half of the 18th century. He was one of the three towers of Japanese buddhism, the others being Bankei, who came just before Hakuin during the 1600s, and Dogen, who lived in the 1200s. You should try to crack your nut on all three of these guys if you want to understand anything about Japanese Zen philosophy. Bankei was liberal and laid back, sort of a let-it-all-hang-out type of Buddhist. Hakuin, so to speak, was part of the conservative backlash that followed Bankei's rather easygoing approach to finding enlightenment. Hakuin was a bully and a taskmaster, berating his students and driving them to physical and mental exhaustion as he revived the arduous and imperfect Rinzai school of Buddhism. Dogen had a great ability for cloaking everything he wrote in intellectual obscurity; when you strip off all of the accoutrements you're not sure whether there is anything of unusual substance underneath. Waddell's book on Hakuin will not give you much of a perspective on who Hakuin was in worldly terms; for that you have to turn to Wikipedia, but it does contain some marvelous translations of Hakuin's writings on Zen and his life, and also a collection of biographical anecdotes compiled by one of his disciples. One thing that Waddell points out is that Hakuin carefully crafted his image and leaned heavily on his biographer by, first, goading him to do the work and, second, insisting on the right of editorial review. This does not necessarily result in truthful reporting. The book is very good reading, however, and it does contain an interesting account of Naikan meditation. Naikan is said to drive the fire of the mind deep into the lower region of the body, where desires and afflictions can be controlled and relieved. In his early career Hakuin suffered from what he called "Zen sickness" and sought out advice for curing it from a Zen cave hermit named Hakuyu. There is no description of Hakuin's symptoms in these pages; however, Hakuyu's Naikan prescription was a one-size-fits-all remedy that supposedly worked wonders for all who assiduously applied themselves to mastering this form of meditation. It worked well enough for Hakuin that he recommended it to his students and described it thoroughly in these writings contained in Waddell's book. This is a book you might want to read a second time and even a third.
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